Some Late Afternoon Tea
by KoopaSensei
Summary: Just as Iroh is about to close up the Jasmine Dragon for the day, he gets an unexpected visit from an unlikely acquaintance.


It was the end of a long day. The beginning of winter was always a busy time for the Jasmine Dragon, and with one of his server's out sick and another taking a leave to take care of his newborn infant, Iroh was happy to see the sun beginning to set and the flow of customers begin to abide. He was just escorting what he'd thought was his last customer out of the door when he paused, to take a look at the city. Ba Sing Se was gorgeous at any time, but framed with the sunset the green and white hues of the building looked almost otherwordly to Iroh. At times like this, he could not help being grateful and astounded by his good fortune, to find himself living the life he had.

But just as he was taking off his apron and about to retreat into the shop to close up for the day, someone approached him. For a moment, Iroh didn't recognize the adult woman, so different from the teenager he'd first met. By now, Katara was a stunningly beautiful woman, with a warm face and the bearing of a true bending master. Her rich brown skin and thickly wooled blue dress made it clear to all where she hailed from, an unusual sight still on the streets of the Earth Kingdom capital. "General Iroh," she said by way of greeting, only to stop mid-step as she noticed what he'd been doing. Suddenly blushing with embarrassment, Katara stuttered, "Oh, was I too late? Is the store closed for the day?"

Unable to help himself, Iroh let out a rolling belly laugh. "My dear, the Jasmine Dragon is never closed to friends of my nephew. Come in, I'll make us some tea." She followed him inside, moving over to a small table with two chairs while Iroh headed into the back to begin steeping the last cups of the day. "And please, do not call me General. That was a long time ago." After carefully preparing the drinks, Iroh carried over the tea and sat down with Katara, taking a sip from his own and observing the young woman across from him. As she began to drink her tea, Iroh couldn't help noticing how tight her movements were, the tension in her shoulders. "Please, let me know what you think of the tea. It's a new blend from Kyoshi. Now, why are you here today?"

Rather than looking back at Iroh, the waterbender was instead staring at her cup, as if lost somewhere below the surface of the liquid. "Toph and Zuko said you're a good person to talk to." Iroh didn't have anything to say to that, but he couldn't stop a small smile of pride, to hear that's how his nephew spoke of him. Then, like steam escaping a tea kettle, Katara let out a huff and her lips twisted into a scowl. "I've been having a lot of meetings with the _Northern Water Tribe_." She spat those last words out like they were a curse.

It had been almost a decade since the end of the war, but the hundred-year conflict had left deep wounds that were still refusing to heal. Both Water Tribes were a long way from Ba Sing Se, but even then Iroh had heard customers sometimes speak of the rising tensions between them. Efforts to rebuild the Southern Water Tribe had been going quite well, but the cultural tension between the tribes only grew stronger the more they were in contact with each other. Running a hand through his beard, Iroh nodded. "In my experience, the Northern Water Tribe does tend to brew such frustrations."

If Katara took any note of his little tea pun, she didn't show it. Instead, she looked at him with surprise. "What do _you_ know about either Water Tribe?" It took her a moment to realize that the words had come out with a little more rudeness than she'd intended. "I'm sorry, but what I mean is...you're from the Fire Nation." The words were no doubt cooler than if she had said them before the end of the far, but they weren't free of more negative hues either.

Rather than respond immediately, Iroh looked out the window of the shop, into the sprawling city outside it. He'd faced more than a little hostility, both during and after the war, for his heritage, which he made no attempt to hide in the last decade. While Iroh perhaps knew the least about Katara out of any of Zuko's friends, it was clear she had by far the worst prior experience with the Fire Nation. Old prejudices die hard, and considering what he _did_ know about her past, Iroh held no ill will towards any lingering frustrations. "There was a time in my life when I traveled the world, seeking...well, I'm not quite sure what I was after. I don't think I knew even then. But in my travels, while I never visited either Water Tribe directly, I did meet a number of people from both North and South."

Iron lifted his cup back to his lips, and looked out of the corner of his eye to see Katara looking at him, clearly interested in what he was saying. After taking a moment to savor the mix of bitter and sweet flavors in his tea, Iroh continued, "Generalizing any culture is a dangerous exercise, as each has so many unique individuals, many of whom defy any overarching label. But the two Water Tribes do have significant differences between them, ones that affect their people more than either may realize. Those I've met from the Southern Water Tribe may be the most humble I've ever met. Your brother excluded, I suppose," he added with a smile. "Your people have little time for boasting, and focus instead of survival. You, more than any of the surviving nations, had the hardest time of the Hundred Year War, and those wounds are still painful, even now.

"The Northern Water Tribe suffered much less, even taking into account the attack led by Admiral Zhao. They have a much tighter grasp on their culture, and that gives them pride. But as I'm sure my nephew can tell you, pride can be as much a bane as a boon." That, at least, seemed to break through the woman's bad mood enough to get a brief smile, which Iroh took as a victory. "They have long seen their isolation as strength, a sign that they are somehow better than their southern cousins. I can tell you from practical experience: the only reason your tribe took the brunt of our naval attacks was due to ocean currents, nothing more than that."

Katara looked into her tea, which she hadn't done more than sip in the last few minutes. Finally, she spoke. "They want to withdraw support from the Southern Water Tribe." That was shocking news to Iroh, and while he reeled from that blow, Katara continued, "We've been able to rebuild, more than we ever thought we could. But if they pull out their help...it could crumble. They've told me that the only way they'd stay would be if we gave up any claim to independence, and accepted their leadership."

Hearing that, Iroh couldn't stop himself from frowning in displeasure. "The older I get, the more political gambits sit poorly in my stomach." Iroh was conflicted. He wanted to help Katara, and her tribe for that matter. But now that Zuko had solidified his power as Fire Lord, Iroh was trying to step away from the world stage as much as he possibly could. In the end, he let out a sigh and decided on the middle path. Advice, at least, should be okay. "Perhaps you should remind them of the debt they owe you and your brother. After all, I fail to recall any warriors from the Northern Water Tribe assisting you in your efforts to end the war." A fierce expression overtook Katara's face, and Iroh did not doubt she would enjoy reminding them of that fact. "Now, let us move away from such heavy matters. How is the Avatar?"

Despite the fact she and the airbender had been dating since their teenage years, Katara's cheeks still reddened at the question. "Aang? He's been..." her voice trailed off, her eyes sliding to the right, away from anything of note. "...busy. He's the Avatar, after all, but it's still difficult to be away from him when he's off doing his important business. And when we are together..." Iroh waited patiently until she was ready to finish what she had begun to say, only for Katara to seemingly switch topics entirely. "Do you have any children?"

The query hit an old wound, but Iroh did his best not to let that show. After all, it seemed she was ignorant of that part of his past, there was no malice behind the question. "One," he said, after taking the effort to steady himself first. "I had a beautiful wife, and a son. Lu Ten. But he...did not survive the war. He passed when Zuko was just a child." Then, pushing that sadness out of him as best he could, Iroh gave a weary smile. "I do like to think of Zuko as my son as well, when I'm feeling selfish."

The woman's face was frozen between sympathy and fear, and she seemed to draw into herself a little more before she spoke. "I'm sorry to hear that. I know Zuko thinks that same, about you." It was nearly a minute before Katara said anything else. "Aang wants kids. I think part of it is because of his culture, he doesn't want it to die. But I also think he's just excited to start a family with me."

Iroh listened, nodding along. This wasn't exactly news, the man himself had told Iroh of his wishes for children more than once in their infrequent visits together. But something about the way Katara talked about it gave him an idea that things weren't entirely as he'd thought. "He wants children. But you do not?" There was no rancor in the question, no judgement.

Regardless, it still hit her hard. Tears stood out in her eyes, refusing to fall. "I don't really know, I'm confused. On the one hand, I love Aang. I want him to be happy, and I know he wants kids, more than I've ever seen him want anything. Sometimes, I feel like I'd like it too. Starting my own family, it just sounds nice. But on the other hand, I don't want to put everything else in my life, everything I've been working for, on-hold. I'm still young, _we're_ still young, and there's no reason to rush this. Plus, it's my body that would have to do all of it, not his. How many kids is he going to want? And..." The tears began to slide down her face. "I already worry so much about Aang, about what I'd do if anything happened to him."

The rest of her thought went unspoken, but not unheard. What if something happened to her children? It was a fear Iroh understood, all too well. Part of the reason he'd never taken another wife, sired another child, was the grief he still carried with him from his firstborn. But Iroh didn't feel that was the kind of thing Katara needed to hear. So instead, he told her, "Despite everything that has happened, I have never regretted Lu Ten's birth. You must do what you feel is best for yourself, and I would not judge you harshly for taking either position." Katara wiped at her tears, smiling at the old man who'd given her what wisdom he could. "Now then, would you like to hear about the time Zuko first tried making dinner for our ship's crew?" At her nod, he launched into a lengthy and slightly embellished story at his nephew's embarrassment. When he heard from Katara four years later that they were expecting their first child, Iroh was enthusiastic in his congratulations.


End file.
